"She goes putt putt, that's my queen Putt putt, on her big machine Putt putt, when the light turns green Putt putt, she's so mean" (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) Forget everything you know about Mini Golf because Puttshack has reinvented it, turned scoring upside down, and gives you an amazing hi-tech experience complete with automatic scoring, a bar, and a table for your drinks at every one of the holes. They are working on 20 locations across the US and have 4 in the UK. The Boston area has one at the Seaport and one in Natick, which we visited yesterday. Natick has a nice restaurant and (3) nine-hole courses. We were there on Saturday, had a nice lunch (2 adults and 2 kids), and mistakenly thought we could just walk in to play golf. We didn't know that reservations are preferred and since we'd have to wait an hour to tee off, we left, made reservations for Sunday and enjoyed a terrific visit at 1:00. Golf for 2 kids and 1 adult ran $36. How was Saturday's lunch? Surprisingly excellent. We had two kiddie meals of chicken tenders, chips or fries and a drink for a rock bottom $8 each, an OG Burger with fries for $16, a Rendang Beef Lettuce Wrap with a cabbage and lettuce slaw for $16, and a club soda for $2.50. Fifty bucks before tax and tip for a lunch for four in Metro Boston is quite reasonable. Our grandkids demolished their chicken tenders, and that doesn't happen every time. My wife liked her burger, and I really enjoyed the lettuce wraps. The shredded beef was super flavorful and had a bit of a spicy Indonesian kick to it. On Sunday we returned for golf, and the only negative aspect of the outing had nothing to do with Puttshack. It had to do with the snarl of traffic and paucity of parking spots at the Natick Mall. I couldn't find a spot and decided to drop my wife and grandkids off in front to continue my hunt. I finally found one in front of Macy's and joined them on the second hole. I started this post by saying Puttshack has reinvented miniature golf, and here's what I meant. The wizardry starts off with a simple golf ball, but their golf balls are not that simple. In fact, they are linked with your players' names from your online registration. The golfballs amazingly keep track of every stroke, hazard, and point scored. Your party's score is displayed at every hole. And while we're on the subject of scoring, forget the old notion of aiming for a low score. That's SO 20th Century. Instead aim for a high score because highest score wins. Each hole has possible bonus point (or penalty) opportunities depending on where you hit your shot, and if your aim is true and can hit a Supertube, you get points and a likely Hole-In-One. Our experience was fantastic, and I couldn't help but marvel at the electronic hi-tech nature of the place and the very enjoyable total experience. PRO TIP The Natick Mall can be quite confusing to navigate and park, so if you have a reservation for golf be sure you allot plenty of time to park your car. read more